You Gotta Know When to Fold Em

When you step to the starting line of an ultra distance event, or get out of the house early in the morning for your long run, you have no idea how the day will unfold. Not much can go wrong running 3 miles three time a week, but at distances over 40 or 50 miles anything can happen and usually does. That is what makes endurance running so intriguing. You can train and prepare and do everything right and it can still go very wrong.

Samsonite ended his 24 hour race after 17 hours and 40 minutes. He covered over 88 miles during that time and probably learned somethings about himself, his crew and other runners on the course. The last info received was that he had stomach issues and was not able to get food and fluid in. Under the best circumstances it is VERY hard to stay on your feet for 24 hours, if you can’t eat and drink effectively it becomes impossible.

Samsonite is most likely disappointed in himself. He will struggle with thoughts that he was not mentally tough enough. He will replay what he did and what he could have done, and wonder if he should have kept going. Eventually, he will think that it was not that bad and he should have stuck it out. This is all natural but it is all wrong.

Running for 24 hours doesn’t make you any more of a man than you were when you started. Continuing, stopping, winning, losing…these are all just components of the dance of life. We each do them all at some point. The components, the pieces if you will, are not the point, the whole dance is. The journey is what matters. Samsonite says he is out living the dream and this weekend was part of that dream. Win or lose, hold or fold, he played. That is what counts. Good job Samsonite!!